Creatures of the Night
by OnceUponALegend
Summary: He's too good to be true. Red X joins the Titans. Nightmares come to life. In the end, it is not who they are, but what they do, that defines them.
1. Prologue

Prolouge

I sat up, gasping, shaking. Vague snatches of the dream flickered through my mind, falling before I could see them into an oblivion I didn't care to explore. By the time my eyes focused, I could remember only the dark fear that still roiled within me. A cold knowledge of something horribly wrong blanketed my mind with shadow. I turned to the window, to seek peace in soft moonlight, but no peace was to be found in the sight that met my eyes.

Paler than ivory, the full moon hung in a sky dark beyond the normal black of night, a sky void of stars. The light it cast was sickly, painful, dead. Blood ran over its scarred and ravaged surface.

Something moved behind me. I didn't hear the sound of it, softer than the whisper of wind over stone. But I felt its presence. Moving faster than my thoughts, I whirled on instinct, searching.

The hair stood up on the back of my neck.

My heart pounded painfully in my chest. Deep within the shadows, something growled and I forced back the scream that fought to escape.

My hands shook. The growl came again, low and hungry. Yellow eyes kindled in the dark. I screamed.

But it was not my voice that ripped at my throat. The pain was excruciating. But it was not mine.

A dark blur launched itself from the shadows. Ivory fangs glinted in the twisted moonlight. I jerked back as steel-trap jaws snapped shut so close that teeth grazed the skin of my throat. Something snarled behind me. I threw myself sideways. My attackers collided. But instead of turning on me they tore at each other, snarling.

The fight was over almost before it had begun. A quick upward slash, and a blade flashing silver-white, glimmering with cold fire; blood soaked into my thick, dark carpet. Something screamed, thrashed, died.

I collapsed against the wall, slid down to rest on the floor, too shaken to do anything in the way of defending myself. The one still standing glided towards me. Too frightened and emotional to use my power, I tried to melt into the wall by sheer force of will. It did me no good.

Without speaking, the victor knelt before me and offered his hand. I looked up, trying to discern his purpose, but his eyes were hidden by the shadow of his deep hood. Slowly, I reached out to accept the offered help. Our fingers touched.

Lightning flashes of memories I knew were not mine left after-images of horror behind my eyes. I snatched my hand back. Again, an unwanted cry forced itself past my lips.

sat up, gasping, shaking. Vauge snatches of the dream flickered through my mind, falling before I could see them into an abyss I had no desire to explore.


	2. Roses are Red

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans. Or Wal-Mart.

_Roses Are Red_

It is believed by those who know such things that the mind never truly forgets anything. Anyone with the will and the knowledge can retrieve any memory they wish. Had I wanted to, I could have retrieved the fragmented shards of the dream that left me in turmoil. I could have assured myself that it was truly a dream, just a dream and nothing more. But I didn't. Too many nightmares awaited me behind the heavy-bolted doors that held them at bay, and I could not bring myself to live them again.

Unwilling to remain in my room, I went to the kitchen for tea. It was a new moon, and the tower was dark except for the faint grey reflection of starlight on the ocean.

My hands shook lightly as I filled my cup. Though I couldn't remember details, I remembered the fear. Reaching for the sugar with one hand, I stopped. Someone was watching me.

Heart pounding frantically against my ribs, I turned slowly to face the darkened living room. The shadows moved and my cup shattered across the floor.

"Bright Azar, Robin!"

"Raven, are you okay?"

Ashamed of my senseless fear, I turned my back on the boy wonder.

"It's nothing."

Shards of china spun off the floor and into my hand. I knelt with a towel to clean up the spilled water. A gentle green-gloved hand stopped me.

"Raven…"

I managed to make my voice level.

"Robin."

Behind the featureless mask, Robin's eyes narrowed.

"After everything, all that we've been through, all that we've seen-."

I wanted to say something sarcastic, if only to divert his attention. The boy wonder, the teen hero who always had a clever comeback, was at a loss for words. He turned his head to stare straight into my eyes, and his concern was something solid.

"Don't lie to me, Raven."

Had he been anyone else, I would have walked away. But he was Robin, and though he'd been unable to articulate all that we've been through, he was right. We'd been there for each other through our worst nightmares come to life, and the bond that connected us was stronger than my fear and deeper than my shame. He was Robin, and he was my dearest friend.

"It was a dream, Robin. That's all. It was just a dream."

Even he wasn't allowed to know how badly a mere dream had frightened me.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"There's nothing to talk about. I don't remember."

"Oh, well, okay."

He stood, pulling me up beside him. The soaking towel was dropped in the sink, and he took the china shards from my hand and turned to leave the room.

"Robin,"

He turned back and looked at me over his shoulder.

"Thank you."

He smiled.

"That's what friends are for."

) Creatures of the Night (

The alarm went off during dinner. Cyborg and Beast Boy were killing each other over the last slice of pizza while Robin played idly with the empty soda bottle. I was considering whether or not to ask him what exactly he planned on doing with that bottle. The best part would have been watching him blush when he realized I knew what game he was thinking about playing and with whom.

"I'll take care of it."

"Are you sure, Raven?"

Robin looked up momentarily from the green plastic in his hands. I honored him with a glare to boil lead, and left the tower.

Night was falling over the bay. In the last rays of the sun, the city was made of flaming gold and it was hard to imagine that such a place could hide so much darkness.

There were no broken windows in the jewelry store, and I almost decided the alarm had been a mistake. The slightest whisper of movement, the shadows behind the large display window slithered. Someone was there after all.

The door had been relocked. This thief was no amateur. I slid into the pooling darkness behind the counter. Nothing moved in the wide room, but I could sense the intruder, somewhere in the gloom.

Cold metal wrapped around my neck, pulling me against a lean body. Masked lips brushed my jaw line.

"You make them beautiful."

He was gone as though he had never been, but the single crimson rose resting in the pool of light at my feet was only too real.

) Creatures of the Night (

Alone in my room, I dropped onto my rumpled bed. I hadn't made it the night before, choosing instead to remain in the living room and watch the rising sun gild the sea.

I studied the long-stemmed rose in my hands. It was obviously not something he'd bought at Wal-Mart. It was just beginning to bloom, bright and healthy.

The thorns hadn't been removed, as one might expect in a rose given by a secret, or not-so-secret, admirer. I wondered if he believed, as I did, that without thorns, there was no point in the rose being a rose. Without thorns, a rose is just a flower. Roses, like life, are most beautiful not because of their innate beauty, but because of the contrast that beauty presents to the painful thorns. I wondered, also, if he found life as beautiful as I did.

Before I left Azarath, my mother, who loved roses, had given me a tall onyx vase with a flared mouth, carved with runes of peace. It was a striking contrast to the crimson silk of the delicate petals. I set it on the table beside my bed.

The sight of it there pulled bright memories from the depths of my soul. Whatever her flaws, my mother had loved me, perhaps a fault in itself. Always, I shall think of the alabaster tower standing tall at the heart of Azarath as a bright star against the darkness of my destiny.

I remember when I was young, before I knew of the death that resided within me. Arella and I sat on her bed, just being silent together. The room was filled with roses: white roses floating in crystal bowls, purple roses in delicate vases; and feathers: soft white feathers floating gently on the warm air. They were from the doves, the birds of peace, sacred to Azar, and to my mother.

My communicator went off. I flipped it open, prepared to kill whoever had disturbed me.

"Rae."

He smiled.

"Garth," I growled.

"It's not my fault, I swear."

Aqualad disappeared, and another face entered the screen. The blond smiled hopefully, his innocent green eyes amusedly guilty. Even I couldn't stay mad at him.

"Joey."

Garth interrupted from off-screen.

"That's not right. When I get on you're queen of the vampires, but when Joey interrupts whatever you're doing you get all human. Why don't you ever snarl at him like you're going to rip his heart out?"

The alarm shrilled frantically. Joey's smile dropped and he shrugged ruefully.

"I guess you'll never know."

I flipped the communicator shut and went to meet the others in the main room.


	3. Amber Eyes

A/N Sorry I took so long. School is crazy right now.

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans. If I did, it wouldn't have been canceled.

Chapter Three - Amber Eyes

Main Street was a study in chaos. Traffic was at a standstill, blocked by a hoard of black rabbits hopping madly in circles. Mumbo's poor wand just hasn't been the same since it came in contact with my telekinesis. I almmost felt sorry for the man. It must be difficult, having all you spells become something you didn't intend.

"Where is Mumbo?"

For once Beast Boy asked an intelligent question. We didn't have to wait long for the answer.

A stocky young man pushed the blue-skinned magician out in front of us, bound and wandless. He wore no costume, and the only thing that hid his identity was the grey cloth that was tied around his head with holes cut for the eyes. Cyborg took charge of the captured criminal and headed for the jail with Beast Boy and Starfire in tow.

"Thanks for the help. Who are you?"

"Name's Shawn."

Robin sounded like someone whose place in the spotlight had been stolen. His thanks were grudging, his wuestion aggresive.

"I Robin, and this is Raven. Jump is under our protection."

Shawn grinned at me, and his teeth were very white.

"I know who you are. Actually," He tuned his attention to Robin. "I was hoping for a place among the honorary Titans. I'm a shape shifter."

There was something like pride in his rough voice.

"What's you alternate form?"

I'd heard people who could turn into centipedes call themselves shape shifters with the same sort of pride, and though Shawn obviously had some talent; his shape shifting might have nothing to do with it.

"Wolf."

He looked almost unsure for a moment, as though the word carried a hidden meaning, but then his face relaxed, the charming smile firmly in it's place. Robin gave me a look that said he didn't like this cocky hopeful. I shrugged. Shawn didn't fell wrong. Robin grudgingly handed him a communicator.

Shawn smiled then, really smiled, and my heart stopped. His tawny hair was thick and curly, his slanted eyes warm hazel overlade with gold. I remembered the rose on my bedside table and turned away. Melchior's hauntingly beautiful face shimmered behind my eyes.

Robin unwillingly invited Shawn to the tower. Cyborg had returned and the five of the took the the T-Car. I wanted to be alone with my thoughts.

"Hey, Beautiful."

I whirled, snarling.

"Do near-death experiences amuse you?"

"Very much, actually."

"Good, then you'll find this side-splitting."

"That's a horrible pun."

He sounded like he was trying not to laugh at me.

"I thought otherwise"

"Beast Boy must be rubbing off on you."

I threw a light pole at empty air as he flickered out of existence.

"Robin will know you're back."

"I won't tell if you don't," He whispered at my ear.

When I turned around he was gone.

AmberEyesCrimsonRosesAmberEyesCrimsonRosesAmberEyesCrimsonRosesAmberEyesCrimsonRosesAmberEyesCrimsonRosesAmberEyesCrimsonRose

My room was cold in the lenghtening shadows of twilight. The others were fighting over pizza, but I didn't feel like joining them. I was still deciding whether to tell Robin that Red X had survived his fall from the cliff-top lab.

If I told him, he wouldn't rest until he found the thief and brought him to justice. He already blamed himself for the criminal's very existence, and I wasn't about to let him form another unhealthy obsession. Slade caused enough trouble, despite the fact that we hadn't seen him since Trigon's defeat. His absence frightened me. He wasn't the kind of person who would change their ways for fear of hell-fire. He was planning something. And it scared me, because whether I admitted it or not, I was afraid of him.

If I didn't tell Robin and Red X's return and he found out, he'd be furious. And if he knew that I had kept it from him... Would he throw me out? Nothing is black and white, not even for Robin, but some things are crystal clear. Would he consider my deception a betrayal, fraternizing with the enemy? Would they hate me? Or worse, would they see in me a criminal? Would they; could he; see me as Trigon's daughter still, even after all I'd done to prove otherwise?

Someone knocked on my door. I didn't recognize the style. Cyborg was firm and steady, Beast Boy hesitant yet exited, Starfire exuberant. Robin didn't need to knock. I knew it was him. This was none of them, and though I had no idea why Shawn would be knocking on my door, I opened it enough to look him in the eye.

"Can I help you?"

"I," He hesitated. "I have a question to ask you."

The clock ticked on the shelf, as the last sunlight turned his hair to shimmering bronze.

"I don't have unlimited time."

I was maybe harsher than I meant to be. He flinched slightly.

"I wanted to know if you'd go out with me."

He wanted to know WHAT?

"A little sudden, wouldn't you say?"

"Not for me."

He was very sweet when he was being earnest.


	4. Shadows of the Mind

A/N Thanks to all my reviewers. Also, phrases in single quotations are telepathic discussion.

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans. If I did, it wouldn't have been canceled.

Chapter Four

"Italian or Mexican?"

I looked up from my book for the fifth time in as many minutes.

"Greek."

Shawn grinned.

"Mary, Mary, quite contrary..."

I had no clue what he was talking about.

"It's a nursery rhyme, a poem poem for children, about a contrary gardener."

"Friend Raven is not a gardener."

Starfire stood in the kitchen with a delicate frown chiseling the tawny skin of her forehead.

"No Star, but she is contrary," Robin murmured as he wrapped an arm around her slender waist.

I turned back to the book. Shawn collapsed next to me on the couch, jostling the book from my hands. Before I could pick it up, he had swept it from the floor and tossed it gently to the other end of the couch. It drifted back to my hand.

"We're not that good of friends."

Shawn was unrepentant.

"Not yet."

"Not ever if you don't cut it out."

His eyes turned liquid.

"Puppy dog stares don't work. Ask Beast Boy."

He ran his fingers across his lips in a zipping motion. I raised an eyebrow.

"You expect me to believe you?"

He shrugged.

"Not really, no. but I thought I might as well try."

The message light blinked and the screen lit up with Garth's face.

His midnight eyes grew to the size of saucers as his eyebrows rose toward his hairline. Joey's lips twitched. From the corner of my eye, I sensed more than saw Robin and Starfire jump apart, blushing.

"Now what?" I hissed.

"Well, we, that is Joey, wanted to know if you'd like to have dinner with us."

"She has a-"

"That would be nice, actually. I'm bringing a friend though."

Garth's gaze swept Shawn's face.

"If you must."

He started to sign out. Joey elbowed him.

"Oh, right, we'll see you in a hour, at that restaurant you like."

The screen went blank.

"I thought we had a date."

Shawn's tone was mild, but he wasn't pleased.

"We do."

"A date _alone_."

"Sorry to disappoint."

Robin snickered. Shawn's eyes narrowed. I rose.

"I need to get ready."

"How long does it take to get to this restaurant?"

"Ten minutes, going as the crow flies. Longer on the ground."

"Why can't we fly then?"

"Do I look like a chauffeur to you?"

Shawn was cute, but he was already getting on my nerves, and the rose that had been a thief's gift refused to be forgotten.

CrimsonRosesAmberEyesCrimsonRosesAmberEyesCrimsonRosesAmber

Aqualad chattered through dinner. Joey, as always was silent, the scar on his throat hidden by the high collar of his black shirt, his expression mildly disapproving. Shawn sat sullen beside me, though his food disappeared quickly enough.

'Garth...'

He stopped talking, the guilt in his eyes not quite hidden by determination.

'I don't find this amusing.'

'Neither do I.'

He was dead serious.

'Something's wrong about him, Rae.'

'I would know if that was true.'

''Telepath' doesn't mean all-seeing.'

'And 'Male' does?'

'Male? Robin doesn't like him either? Rae this should tell you something.'

'I'm not an idiot, Garth.'

'You're intelligent, Rae. But you're still a woman.'

I didn't deign to reply.

'Raven,'

Joey's gentle pleading reached me past Garth's frustration and Shawn's darkening anger.

'He doesn't mean it like that. He's just trying to protect you. Sometimes, emotions can impair even the sharpest of vision.'

I watched the shadows play across Shawn's face.

CrimsonRosesAmberEyesCrimsonRosesAmberEyesCrimsonRosesAmber

Joey and Garth left us outside the little Greek restaurant at nearly eleven. I felt Shawn relax as they disappeared around the corner, though some part of him was still angry at the Atlantian. He grinned at me.

"Now can we have our date?"

"Depends."

"On?"

"Where exactly do you plan on taking me?"

"Dancing."


	5. Painted Triangles

A/N Three in one day. That's a record.

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans. If I did, it wouldn't have been canceled.

Chapter Five - Painted Triangles

"I don't dance."

"You'd be good at it."

"Maybe." I allowed.

He grabbed my hand and pulled me down the street.

"That doesn't mean yes."

"No," He agreed. "It means maybe. But you'll never know if you don't give it a shot."

"I don't want to know."

He was cute in an irritating kind of way, and against my better judgment, I let him continue to tow me. I wasn't sure if I agreed with Garth. Joey didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with Shawn. And I would have known if there was. Garth and Robin were just being overprotective. I'm a big girl. I could take care of myself.

Shawn stopped outside an old warehouse. A large neon sign dyed the front wall electric blue. Lights and music poured from the open door. I shrank back.

"You're afraid."

"I don't do fear."

I tried not to remember what had happened the last time I'd said those words. He raised one hand, slowly stroked my cheek with the backs of his fingers. His eyes narrowed when I flinched.

"But you do. You're afraid of what might happen in there, and you're afraid of me, of what I might do. You're afraid to let go."

His words caught me unprepared. I hadn't expected him to read me so deeply. He was right. I straightened my shoulders. I had no more reasons to be afraid. Melchior was the past. Trigon was dead. It was time to let them go.

Shawn's irrepressible grin stretched across his face as I stepped forward, and I felt an answering smile tug at my own lips.

Emotions were high in the cramped, whirling space. I swallowed. Shawn wrapped an arm around my shoulders and somehow it helped. As though his warmth could block out the cold, bright, hot, blurred, dark, sharp, confused, emotions around us. I felt the ground still and reassuringly solid beneath me.

Under the shifting lights of the dance floor, Shawn's arms were strong and gentle around my waist. Somehow, I didn't mind the contact. It was nothing like Melchior, or the whispering, fleeting touches of a cautious, admiring thief.

"Mind if I cut in?"

Shawn stilled and turned to face the taller figure behind him.

"Actually, I do."

"And you, Beautiful; do you mind?"

I tried to see his face, but the shifting lights painted it with a rainbow, and the shadows hid its shape. I did see the lazy smile that glinted in the light. He knew what I was looking for.

"I don't mind staring at you all night, but I think your boyfriend wants to move on."

"I afraid I don't dance with strangers."

The stranger who wasn't a stranger laughed, the sound almost lost beneath the music.

"Don't you?"

And then he was gone.


	6. A Liar's Truth

A/N Thanks to my reviewers. You are the reason I keep writing.

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans. If I did, it wouldn't have been canceled.

Chapter Five - A Liar's Truth

"Rae, I think you need to see this."

Cyborg was checking the security feed, and his tone caught my attention. I stood up. Shawn made a complaining sort of noise in the back of his throat as I dumped his arm unceremoniously back onto the couch.

"Shouldn't you show Robin, if it's something important?"

I stepped into the video room. Cyborg's wide shoulders blocked the screen he was looking at. He beckoned me over and moved aside.

"I don't think he would take this well."

Standing just outside the door, masked head tilted as he contemplated the camera was a too-familiar figure. Red X reached out a gloved hand and tapped the supposedly hidden lens lightly, as though testing to see whether it worked.

"What in the name of Azar does he think he's doing?"

"Beats me. Do you want me to get rid of him?"

"Not yet."

Shawn started to get up as I passed the couch on my way to the door. I motioned for him to relax, and slid through the wall.

Red X jumped slightly as I appeared beside him, but relaxed when he saw who it was. I shoved him backwards, away from the camera, against the wall of the tower. He didn't struggle.

"What are you doing here?"

"I get bored easily."

"You have a very short attention span. I thought I warned you about being obvious. Robin is going to have kittens."

"I think you mean chicks."

"_Not_ amusing." I hissed.

"I have a question."

He was suddenly serious.

"Ask then."

"Why didn't you tell Bird Boy I'm back?"

"He has enough obsessions."

Despite the mask, I could feel his eyes searching mine. It made me somehow uncomfortable.

"I asked you what you were doing here. You're not stupid. I know you have a reason. Now tell me the truth."

"Would you believe me, if I said I'd seen the error of my ways?"

"No."

"Would you believe me if it was true?"

That stopped me. I looked at him, trying to read his intentions.

"Is it?"

"That's part of it."

"Why else?"

"I'll tell you someday."

His eyes locked on mine.

"If you let me in."

He was a thief and a liar. I had no reason to believe him. It would be foolish to believe him.

"Prove it."

"How?"

"You decide. Prove to me that you're not lying."

"Let me go."

I released the power that held him bound.

"Thank you.

He reached up and pulled the mask over his head.


	7. Beyond The Mask

A/N Special thanks to Drifting One for being the most awesome reviewer ever.

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans. If I did, it wouldn't have been canceled.

Chapter Six - Beneath the Mask

Liquid silver eyes caught my own and held me in place as surely as any chains. Azure shadows pooled in his midnight hair. His skin glimmered in the light, pale as the moon. I'd never seen anything so beautiful.

"Don't faint."

I glared at him. He shrugged and tried not to laugh.

"You needn't be embarrassed. You wouldn't be the first."

I very nearly slapped him.

"If you want to talk to Robin, you'll need to come with me."

It is very hard to stay angry at a living work of art.

I opened the door with a sweep of my hand and invited him in. The Titans were waiting for us. Robin's face darkened.

"What do you think you're doing, Raven?"

"He wants to talk to you."

"And you just let him into the tower?"

I was the only person on the team shorter than Robin, and he used his height to an advatage, leaning over me as he stepped closer. I'd never in my time with the Titans seen him so angry at one of his team mates. I felt Red X step closer as though offering support.

"I trust him."

Robin's cheeks flushed crimson. I clasped my hands to hide thier shaking. That had been the worst thing I could possibly say.

"You don't know him. It took you years to trust us, yet you trust him in a heartbeat?"

"Not him, for himself, only that he's telling the truth."

"And what is the truth?"

"That I'm here to give you back the suit."

Without the voice synethsizer, the former thief's voice sounded very different. All eyes swept to X's face. Shawn clenched his teeth so hard the muscles in his jaw jumped.

"Why would you do that?"

Robin had calmed considerably.

"Because I'm done with it. I'm done with being a thief."

"Tell us your name."

"Chase."

Starfire blinked.

"Please, what is it that you are chasing?"

To his credit, he didn't laugh. Beneath the suit, he was far more mature than I would have given him credit for.

"Nothing."

His lips quirked, but the expression was more than kind.

"That's my name: Chase Pereigrine."

"Why come here, why not just stop stealing? You knew if you came here that we'd turn you over to the police."

Robin sounded confused.

"I don't know that you will, but I'm willing to take that chance."

"You think I'd change my mind about something like that? Justice requires that you pay for your crimes."

Robin's voice was hard again. In the shadows behind him I could almost imagine another shape. I knew who had taught him about justice. The Dark Knight wasn't known for being merciful.

"I intend to."

"Without going to jail?"

"There are better ways to repair the wrongs that I have done."

'Robin,'

He looked at me.

'You build him into a great criminal. In reality, he's really not that bad. How many crimes has he commited?"

'Two.' Robin admitted grudgingly. He had guessed about the second, but he was right in thinking that it had been Red X who had robbed the jewelry store.

'And how many times has he helped us?'

'Two.'

'And he wants to help us again.'

Robin looked at Chase again, this time without the filter of self-depriciation that had caused his near-hatred of the thief.

"If you join us, you will be on parole. You are not allowed to leave Raven's or my sight."

Chase smiled.

"I don't think that will be a problem."

Shawn growled, low in the back of his throat, and it seemed to me that something feral whispered hungrily around the edges of his conciousness.


	8. Whisper Ice and Iron

Someone was in my room. I slid through the wall, unwilling to go through the door and be faced by I didn't know who. The aura seemed familiar, but it was strange, and tingled with an emotion I didn't recognize.

Chase was sprawled across my bed as though he belonged there, bright against the dark sheets. Moonlight fell across his eyes, and they shone like stars. I stopped.

"You kept the rose."

"Yes." I said slowly, wary of his motives.

"I'm glad."

"My mother liked roses."

He smiled softly.

"Mine too."

I stopped moving again. Somehow it seemed strange for him to say that. His quiet laugh startled me.

"You don't really think about thieves as having mothers."

I didn't. And Chase, the boy behind Red X's mask-

"She didn't think of thieves as having mothers either."

A shadow fell across his face.

"I'm sorry, I-"

"Don't be."

He grinned and vaulted to his feet.

"I like it better here."

"You've certainly made yourself at home."

I covered my discomfort with my trademark acid sarcasm, hoping that he, like so many others, would believe the lie.

"Why not?"

"You have your own room."

"Ah, but I'm not allowed out of your sight."

A sly smile slid across his mouth, gone before I could call him on it.

'Robin.'

My seeming lack of reaction displeased the former thief. He pouted at me.

"Aw come on, don't tell me that isn't funny."

"Not remotely."

"Not even a little bit?"

"No."

Robin's knock came just in time. I flung the door open without moving.

"Rae, what's-"

I gestured to the boy perched carelessly on the chest in the darkest corner of the room.

"Get him out."

Robin grimaced.

"Get up."

Chase didn't bother asking why. He made his way with deliberate slowness to where we stood waiting.

"You can't stay in here."

"Where do I stay?"

"There are plenty of rooms in the tower."

"I thought I wasn't allowed out of your sight."

"There are other ways of ensuring you stick around." I threatened.

"What are you going to do, shackle me to the wall?"

"There is that possibility." Robin muttered under his breath.

"You couldn't hold me."

I slammed him against the wall.

"Wanna bet?"

Chase looked down at the chains of dark energy.

"You win some, you lose some."

I released him, somehow managing to keep from rolling my eyes.

"The question remains. Where do I sleep?"

"You'll have your own room, but you try anything, and I will find out."

He looked insulted.

"Ungrateful. I offer to help and you expect me to sabotage you at the first opportunity. It's positively cruel. My self-esteem is crushed."

"You don't actually expect us to trust you?"

"Well-"

I stepped in before Robin did something he'd regret.

"Don't bait him."

Chase had the grace to look mildly ashamed of himself.

"Sorry."

He held out a long hand and Robin shook it gingerly.

"Glad that's over. So which room will be mine?"

Robin opened his mouth, but before he could answer the door hissed open. Shawn glided up beside me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. Something incomprehensible flickered through Chase's quicksilver eyes, but he hid it quickly.

"We're almost done here."

I was sure my meaning was clear. Dissapointed, Shawn left to wait in the hall. Chase followed Robin out.

As he passed me on the way to the door, well behind our impatient leader, Chase leaned in close. His breath was warm against the side of my neck, but somehow I felt colder.

Long seconds after he and Robin had dissapeared into the hall, I stood there, my arms wrapped tightly around my shaking body. His warning rang of truth, and the thought sent a ripple of ice across my skin. I shivered as the word played again through my mind.

"Werewolf."


	9. Perfect Crimson

Chapter Eight: Perfect Crimson

The rose should have faded.

I'd dismissed Shawn as soon as I could without seeming rude. I needed time to think. I needed- I didn't know what I needed, only that I was afraid, and it frightened me to feel that way.

Half-remembered ghosts of the echoes of a dream whispered gently. Cold fingers of forgotten memory trailed through the dim landscape of my mind, leaving ice in their wake. I didn't want to chase them, to bring them back and look at them in the light. The night was too cold, and the fear too heavy. I should have. But somehow all I could see was the perfect crimson rose in my hands.

It should have faded.

Shawn wasn't human? He wasn't the only one. I wasn't the only child of the shadows that whispered here in the silence. But Shawn, he was the only one I was afraid of.

"Werewolf"

Over and over, echoing, sighing. A single word that I could not forget.

"Werewolf."

The rose should have faded.


	10. Warning Signs

Chapter Nine - Warning Signs

Shawn leaned against me. I didn't push him away. If he truly was what Chase said, I couldn't risk his finding out I knew.

"Booyah! I just whooped your skinny green butt. Yo, Rob, you play winner?"

"May I?"

Five pairs of eyes turned toward the voice. Robin, just sliding into Beast Boy's place, shrugged.

"Sure. Winner plays Cyborg."

Cyborg handed his controller to Chase, who swung over the back of the couch and collapsed lightly between Robin and me. Shawn growled low and dangerous. It was barely audible. I doubt he intended for me to hear it. He was finding it harder to control himself. I stood."

"Tea?"

"Thanks."

There was an edge of strain to Chase's tone. His pale skin was paler, just touched with grey.

'Are you okay?'

He was briefly starteled, but smart enough to keep his attention on the game.

'Fine.'

He was lying.

AmberEyesCrimsonRoseAmberEyesCrimsonRosesAmberEyesCrimsonRose

Moon- washed waves lashed at the dark shore of the island. Distant lightning glinted from the glass of the wide windows. Chase paced irritably back and forth behind the couch, his movements short and controlled. Shawn had dissapeared.

I relaxed into the dark cushions, smiling faintly at the steam that curled invitingly above the full china cup. The faint sounds of movement stopped abrubtly. I turned to regard Chase, who was looking warily back. The lean muscles of his face twitched. He seemed to make a decision.

"I need to get out of here. Come with me?"

"Why me?"

"Robin doesn't like me."

"And you think I do?"

"More than he does."

The lack of witty comebacks disturbed me, as did the darkening circles under his eyes.

"Give me five minutes."


	11. Starlight and Moonlight

Chapter Ten- Starlight and Moonlight

The park was deserted. A chill wind played in the swings, and the chains creaked as they swung steadily back and forth. Chase collapsed onto the grass, gazing up at the swiftly gathering clouds.

"You could almost believe in ghosts on a night like tonight."

He tilted his head back to look up at me.

"I would think you, of all people, would believe in them."

I settled down beside him, shaking my head.

"No, I of all people, should know better."

He nodded. We hadn't told him what I was. I was sure he knew.

Silence fell between us for a long moment as the wind whistled in the grass.

"Do you believe me?" He asked suddenly.

"Yes. It's becoming more that obvious."

"Do you trust me?"

Thunder crashed and the sky split open. Chase spread his arms, welcoming the rain that soaked his dark clothes and gathered in the hollow of his throat. He laughed. A bright, infectious grin played over his wide mouth, and I saw the carefree teenager he should have been; that we all should have been.

"Yes."

He stopped laughing and looked at me. His silver eyes burned and I wondered if I'd spoken too soon. But I wasn't frightened. When he reached forward, I reached too.

Our fingertips met. Our hands pressed together for an instant that seemed to last a life time. His eyes held mine as he threaded our fingers together. I leaned forward, lost in his bottomless gaze. Our lips met.

It took me a moment to realize that the rain on my face was mixing with tears. I pulled back with the taste of warm salt tainting the delicate sweetness of his mouth.

Gentle fingers brushed the moisture from my cheek. I moved out of reach, turning to watch the intermittent moon turn the rain to silver. He reached for me again.

"Don't. Please."

He shook his head, brushed my hand gently. I cried out as the bench behind us exploded.

"No!"

Trigon was dead. Melchior was gone. But the memories of their presence haunted the spaced between us. I jerked back, fighting the burning tears.

"I'm Sorry."

His mouth was twisted in pain, his outstretched hand still waiting, empty except for the rain that pooled in his upturned palm.

"So am I."

AmberEyesCrimsonRoseAmberEyesCrimsonRoseAmberEyesCrimsonRoses

I slid down the rain-slick wall, wrapping trembling arms around my drawn-up knees. My jeans were heavy, soaked with mud and rain. Robin was going to be mad at me for leaving Chase. I couldn't stay. Alone, I let the tears fall freely.

I don't know how long I sat there before the sound of footsteps intruded. They were quiet, barely audible above the pounding rain. I shouldn't have been able to hear them at all. It didn't register with me that I had until the watcher made a sound of amused pity. I looked up too late. Unforgiving hands captured my arms. A heavy sack was thrown over my head, but not before I saw the owner of the cool, familiar voice.

"So nice to see you again, Raven."

Slade had returned.


	12. A Bird in the Hand

WARNINGS: Insinuation and Violence. Nothing too serious, but I just wanted to let you know.

Chapter Eleven - A Bird in the Hand

I didn't struggle as the cold metal hands wrenched my arms behind my back and bound them from wrist to elbow. Pain lanced through my shoulders. I kept it from showing in my face or body language. He would know, of course, he always knew, but I would keep this small vanity.

I thought about screaming. Chase would come if he was within hearing distance. Rough hands forced a coarse cloth past my lips and what felt like halfway down my throat. I was hauled cruelly to my feet and shoved into Slade's restraining arms.

With no way to direct the energy, I didn't dare lash out with my powers. Large hands stroked my down my waist, coming to rest low on my hips. Fabric tore, and I shivered as the wind ghosted across the rain-soaked skin of my abdomen.

"Remember?" His voice whispered against my throat.

I shuddered and tried to hide it.

"I thought you would."

His fingers found a pressure point that sent me spiraling into blackness.

AmberEyesCrimsonRoseAmberEyesCrimsonRose AmberEyesCrimsonRoses

I woke to the ghost fingers of a cool, dry breeze whispering across my bare skin. The rough gag had been replaced with a softer cloth. I was still blind, but at least my arms were more comfortable, if you call hanging from your wrists comfortable.

I didn't reach for my power. Slade knew better than most what I was capable of. He was nowhere near stupid enough to have left them unbound. I was sure he would know how to temporarily incapacitate them, and even more certain that testing his boundaries would hurt.

"Good morning."

I snarled through the gag. Slade's hand closed over my bare shoulder and pressed down. I choked back a scream as the joint was pushed beyond its limit. He freed my mouth.

"My dear, you should be more polite. You are, after all, a guest in my home."

"You're not much of a host." I gasped through the pain.

"I'm afraid the restraints are necessary."

"And shredding most of my clothing?"

"That is also necessary."

The implications frightened me. I locked my emotions away in my mind. They would only make things worse.

"Robin won't give in to you."

He was amused.

"You and I both know how much he cares for his friends."

"He promised me he wouldn't trade himself to save my life."

"'Who said anything about killing you?"

He was practically purring. His fingers traced the waist line of my damp jeans and I found it hard to breath.

"What do you think he would do to save you from a fate worse than death?"


	13. Cyclone

WARNINGS: Insinuation and Violence. Nothing too serious, but I just wanted to let you know.

Chapter Twelve - Cyclone

Slade left me fighting back the terror that threatened to take over. I could hear his heavy boots on the rocky floor. He was making the noise for my benefit I knew.

The video connection in the tower went two ways. We should have known that it would be easy to manipulate. I couldn't tell if Slade had a way to monitor us visually through the screen, though I doubted it, but I recognized the voices as the those of the Titans.

"You weren't to leave her sight."

Robin sounded furious.

"What did you want me to do, chase her down? She was obviously upset. I thought it best to leave her alone. I didn't know she wouldn't come back."

Chase's defense of himself was tired, as though he'd gone through it before. I was sure he had.

"How do we know you aren't the reason she didn't come back?"

Shawn's was exhausted, and his voice was lower than usual, rough and almost a growl. It was the final proof of Chase's accusation. Not that it mattered anymore.

"If you're suggesting I hurt her in any way -"

Chase cut himself off, fighting to maintain control.

"You know very well that I am."

"I didn't hurt her."

He was almost desperate to convince them, but it would be impossible without me there to speak in his defense. His past only made it harder. In Robin's eyes, I knew, the only difference between a thief and a murderer was that the thief hadn't yet become desperate enough to kill.

"Then why did she run away from you?" Cyborg demanded.

There was silence. I could imagine Chase's expression, and the way his lips would twist as he made a difficult decision.

"She left because I kissed her."

Pandaemonium erupted in the tower. Slade was quietly amused.

"That explains the state I found you in."

I didn't reply.

A furious howl cut through the noise on the other side of the audio link. Silence fell abruptly.

"Kissed her?"

Shawn was suspicious. I had expected him to be angry. Suspicion seemed an odd emotion to me.

"Kissed her."

Shawn's anger must have shown on his face; Chase was taking a perverse delight in the fact.

"If she was running from you, she should have come back to the tower."

Cyborg was mildly confused, which I hadn't expected from him, but I expected Robin's reply.

"Not if she didn't want us to know that she was upset."

"But that doesn't explain why she didn't come back sometime last night."

Shawn was really pushing his theory.

"She's not the type to stay out all night." Cyborg said.

I knew that none of them believed that Chase's only crime was stealing a kiss, Robin least of all.

"Why didn't she come back?"

"Hello, Robin."

Dead silence. Slade must have turned on the video link.

"Where is she?"

The harsh tone was meant to be intimidating. Robin only sounded desperately worried.

"I should think that would be obvious."

"What do you want?"

"You know what I want."

I could almost feel the despair I knew was coursing through my friend.

"I promised."

"You promised not to trade your life for hers. It is not her _life_ I'm threatening."

Boots clanked on the floor, and I collapsed as the shackles were released. Cold hands pulled me to my feet and shoved me forward. Slade caught me when I stumbled.

"Out, all of you." Robin commanded.

I heard three sets of footsteps leave the room.

"All of you."

"No way man, she's my girl too."

"I'm staying." Shawn growled.

"Suit yourself." Slade replied for Robin.

Gloved hands stroked the bare skin over my ribcage and it took all my strength to keep the fear I felt from displaying itself in my expression. Minutes flowed by, or it might have been hours, or seconds. I couldn't tell, could hardly think past the invading panic. I knew what how this would end, how it had to end.

"Well, Robin?" Slade drawled.

"You promised." I choked past the dread.

I couldn't keep the fear from my voice.

"Raven," Robin sounded horrifed. "You can't ask me to keep that promise now."

"Don't you dare give in to him."

I was almost begging, fighting to be angry.

Slade leaned down to whisper in my ear, twisting my wrist painfully as he did so.

"Speak again, and I'll insure you're very sorry."

"Don't. I'm not worth the-"

I cried out as the pressure moved my wrist past the breaking point. There was a loud crack as the bones snapped. A hair-raising snarl errupted from Shawn. But it wasn't him, because the voice was too close, and it held no trace of the slight distortion speaking over the video link caused. Slade whirled to face the large room, dropping me as he moved. Finally free, I wrestled one-handed with the blindfold.

"Touch her again, and I swear I'll rip your heart out."

The voice was almost inhuman, a deep, raging snarl.

"And just how do you plan on doing that?" Slade smirked, but I could tell by the edge on his voice that even he was disconcerted by the intruder.

The blindfold finally came off, trailing strands of lavender.

Chase! How? He couldn't have gotten here that fast. How close are we to the tower? Why did he come alone?

My thoughts wouldn't settle.

"It's really very simple."

Chase lunged for Slade's throat.


	14. Blood Will Out

Chapter Thirteen - Blood Will Out

Slade dodged the deadly attack...barely. I saw Chase's hand brush the bronze armor over his shoulder. Chase's teath were bared and gleaming in the dim light from the video screen.

Robin was watching the fight with a look of astonishment widening his mask. Shawn looked incensed. Starfire and Beast Boy were watching from the doorway, wide-eyed and open-mouthed.

A terrible cracking sound shattered the air behind me and I turned to see Slade sway, his right arm hanging useless at his side. Chase struck again, lighting fast. Slade hit the ground hard, and rolled, but he never made it to his feet. Chase slammed him onto his back and knelt over him, long white hands wrapped over his shoulders, holding him down with inhuman strength.

I stood, and moved to lay a restraining hand on the former theif's back, cradling my injured wrist against my body. The touch was light, but Chase snarled viscously, and I pulled back to calm him from a safer distance. I knew he was more than human for sure, and getting to close to an unknown factor with its blood up is a bad idea.

"Don't." I spoke slowly, and sent a ripple of healing energy into his writhing mind.

"Remind me."

His voice was low and harsh, and the breath hissed between his teeth.

"He is a sentient being."

Chase's hands shook lightly.

"He is alive."

"I am very much aware of that little tidbit, Raven."

But he sounded more amused than he might have.

"You are not a murderer."

"I hope you're right."

Chase stood up slowly. He came over, inspecting me carefully.

"Are you okay?"

"A little shaken."

"Here;" He handed me the T-shirt he'd been wearing. "You need it more than I do."

A gloved hand clamped around Chase's throat. He whirled, throwing Slade against the wall and standing not two inches away with his hands resting on Slade's collarbone. The rough contact cracked the criminal's mask and it fell, slicing a shallow graze in along the side of Slade's face. Chase backed away with crimson staining his hands, shaking horribly.

His body rippled, and he clenched his fists so hard he should have been bleeding where his nails ripped the skin of his palms. But he wouldn't bleed. I should have known.


	15. Wolf Cry

Chapter Fourteen - Wolf Cry

I stepped between Chase and Slade, my mind reaching out to wrap the Vampyre in my power. Agony shuddered along my awareness, and I choked on a scream. Slade took a slow step along the wall.

"Creatures you cannot comprehend walk this earth, your life hangs in the balance."

He stilled, and I heard Chases stumble.

"How do I break the binding?" I asked fiercely.

"You don't."

Footsteps echoed on the floor.

"Chase, what's - "

Robin's voice was cut off by a snarl. I whirled. Shawn was bristling, the muscles writhing under his skin.

Chase stepped backwards, hands up.

"Don't." He sounded like bursting from his skin.

"Why not?"

Shawn's body vibrated.

"Control." Chase managed.

"Maybe I want you to lose control."

A feral smile split Shawn's features.

Three figures came flying around a corner. All were musculer, with close-cropped hair.

"Pup!" The tallest yelled.

"What?" Shawn snarled.

"What do you think you're doing?" The oldest one demanded.

"Finishing my job."

"It's too late for that boy."

Chase stepped farther back. The three shuddered, coarse, heavy fur running over thier skin.

"Prepare to die, shadow-walkers!" The oldest growled.

The werewolves stood moved forward as one. A four-fold howl split the shadows.


	16. Battles

Chapter Fifteen - Battles

Chase dropped into a fighter's crouch, a vicious snarl ripping past teeth that became curved fangs. His eyes darkened to a black that seemed to swallow the light.

The largest of the wolves, a huge grey monster with blood-lust in his golden eyes snapped at the vampyre. Shawn circled, trying to get at Chase's unprotected back.

Two of the creatures made a wide circuit past the staring Titans. They turned to fix thier burning eyes on Slade. Deciding he was no threat, they moved in towards thier leader.

I stepped forward, fighting the block and the agony resistance brought.

"This isn't neccasary. He has done nothing."

One of the Weres made a noise like a laugh. Shawn yipped urgently. The leader turned and hit him roughly across the shoulder, slamming him into the wall with a ferocious growl. Shawn's slanted eyes flickered from his alpha to Chase to me. He whined low in his throat. Chase's pitch eyes widened with something like understanding.

"Raven, get your friends out of here."

Starfire rose into the air with a flash of lime. Beast Boy's outline ripples as though he would shift. Cyborg straightened. Robin shook himself.

"Stop!"

The wolf closest to the team glared back at them.

"Go!" Chase hissed, still watching the wolves as warily as they were watching him.

"No." Robin snapped.

"You don't understand."

Chase feinted at the Alpha wolf. I tore at the mental block.

"You have to get Raven out of here."

"I'm not going anywhere." I managed through the growing agony.

"You are." He insisted.

The Alpha wolf lunged. I screamed as the block shattered. Shawn sprang forward behind his leader. A rangy wolf with nearly brown fur darted around Chase.

I threw up a shield and the wolf tore at it furiously, fighting to get behind the vampyre. The fourth wolf sank low and slunk towards me.

A brilliant glow of Tameranian star-bolts filled the dark cavern. Cyborg's proton cannon discharged. The roar of an angry grizzly rose above the noise of the battle.

"Titans go!"

The wolf charged, teeth snapping. A howl of command echoed piercingly. Shawn cried out in distress as the wolves stopped dead in thier tracks. The leader turned to tower over Shawn.

There were no words, but I felt the huge grey wolf's growing anger and his burning, impatient determination. Shawn shuddered, the shivers running along his fur as though to shake off something that stung. His liquid amber eyes locked on my face. He whined, a low, regretful sound; but there was something dark along the rippling edges of his almost-human mind. And then he attacked.


	17. Remembering Midnight

Chapter Sixteen - Remembering Midnight

The nightmare fell into place with horrible suddenness. I remembered. I had seen this before. Not exactly, not surely, but I had seen its ghost in a dream, and the specter of death returned to haunt me.

I slid away from the snapping jaws. Just out of reach. Just in time. The other wolves were still as statues, watching, waiting, hungry. The Titans stood astonished, frozen, confused. Shawn's yellow eyes kindled with a fervor that was almost insanity.

_(And the moon was bleeding crimson tears for the sight that met her gaze)_

Another leap for my vulnerable throat. I moved, but not quickly enough. And I wasn't going to make it. Rough hands shoved me to the ground. Barely safe. Jaws snapped closed above us with a sound like a trap snapping shut. I could almost imagine I felt the slavering fangs brush against me. A nightmare wrapped icy claws through my skin.

_(And the shadows tore at each other, snarling.)_

It was over so quickly, no one had time to move. Over so quickly. Too quickly. So suddenly.

_(And something screamed, thrashed...)_

Died. And the sudden vacuum where warm life had been tore a screaming rent in my mind.

The dream that I had forgotten. The nightmare that had frightened me so badly that I could not bear to see it again. Ghosts and dreams come to life, and the horror of my gift.

I had seen this before. Seen death before its time. Or maybe it was not the death that came before. Maybe it was the sight that came too soon; this terrifying so-called gift that men call precognition.

It was over. Somehow it had gone on around me. The shrieking, rumbling cacophony of battle was now the silence of death. I looked up.

Robin stood, half leaning on Cyborg's arm, his hand resting on Starfire's shoulder, panting, his masked eyes locked on the bleeding form just short of his feet. The creature was still breathing. Its torn chest rising and falling. Robin looked relieved, and I thanked him for it.

Two others lay still and silent. Chase knelt over them, his dark, dark eyes wretched with sorrow, a gleaming silver blade in his white hand. Beast Boy stood over them, shock and pain mingling in his face as blood stained the arm of his uniform.

Shawn lay not far from the group, struggling to rise on a shattered hind leg, his low whimpers running across the floor like water, echoing in the shadowed corners until they seemed to fill the room, rippling through my mind. Never ending sounds of sorrow. Slade was gone.

I moved slowly to kneel beside the injured wolf with the sable fur as his body shuddered and shifted. He was young. Shawn's age maybe, his chocolate eyes liquid with agony. I reached out to heal the wound that Robin's birdarang had caused. He recoiled

"Don't touch me, demoness."

Robin's face hardened, his masked eyes narrowed and cold.

"She's trying to save your life you ungrateful-"

I held up a hand to cut him off.

"I have no reason to help you. But I am willing to do so. Am I really so evil? Shawn trusted me."

His face contorted.

"Shawn is weak. I will not become like him. You and all your kind are only safe dead."

I rose.

"So be it then."

Shawn shivered as I rested my hands on the air just above his leg.

"You would still help me? After everything?"

His voice was rough with suffering.

I sent my power into the shattered bone, felt him relax as the pain flowed into my own body and then away. He turned to face the wall, the muscles in his jaw working as he fought for composure. A renegade tear made its slow way down the contours of his face.

"I was supposed to kill you."


	18. Crocodile Tears

Chapter Seventeen

I gently turned his head so I could look into sorrow-filled amber eyes.

"Why didn't you?"

"I-"

He broke off, flinching as the other surviving werewolf made a choked sound of pain.

"He needs medical attention."

Robin sounded strained.

"No."

The others were shocked.

"Would you rather he died?"

"Better that than what will become of him when humans get their hands on him."

Shawn nodded. I sent a wave of energy to roll lightly across the boy's mind, whispering sleep. His breathing softened.

"Bandage the injury."

I heard rustling behind me that meant they were doing as I'd said. Beast Boy moved over to stand next to me, his injured arm out. I healed the injury and turned back to Shawn.

"You must have had a reason."

"I couldn't do it."

Chase's head jerked up and he turned to stare at us, his still-black eyes narrowed.

"I cared too much."

"Why did you wait?"

"I had to get you alone. I couldn't kill you in front of the others. I'm not that powerful."

He trembled under my hands.

"You had me alone. The night you asked to go out."

"It was too late by then. You intrigued me."

Something squirmed along the edge of his thoughts. I could feel it, barely there. I stood and offered a hand to help him rise. He accepted.

As I pulled him to his feet I felt the darkness merge with his thoughts. In the split second before he completed the movement, coming all the way up, and shoving me off balance, I knew what he planned. Shining fangs appeared in a suddenly elongated jaw. But he had forgotten. His desperation, his anger, his pain; they blinded him to the danger.

I slammed him off his feet and into the wall with more force than I'd meant to use. He collapsed, trying to rise despite the new injuries. His face was a mask of raging disgust.

"You killed them." He snarled, half-sobbing.

"They tried to kill me."

"They were only doing their job."

"And that makes it right?" Asked a vampyre's furious hiss.

Shawn yelped as a livid Chase picked him up by the collar of his torn shirt and held him against the wall. He pressed an arm against the struggling creature's throat. His eyes had changed again, and the red that swirled in their depths convinced me it was time to get him out of here.

"Chase."

He half-turned.

"You don't want to do that."

He released Shawn who slid down the wall and crumpled into a softly crying heap.

"Robin, take care of those two. Chase and I need to leave."

The other Titans nodded.

"What about the injury?"

I paused on my way to the door and made sure it wouldn't be mortal.

"He'll heal quickly."

Cyborg laid a cautious hand on my arm, watching Chase's swirling eyes carefully.

"Where are you two going?"

"Out for lunch."

All four of my friends looked at me like they thought the stress had been too much. Chase made a slightly amused but mostly bitter sound in his chest. I removed Cyborg's hand from my shoulder.

"Unless you feel like being the entree, I suggest you let us leave."

The Titans parted to let us through.


	19. More Than Human

A/N I'm back. Sorry it's been so long. I have play rehearsals every night till like nine so I haven't had a chance to write.

Chapter Eighteen: More Than Human

"How long?" I asked when we stepped into the sunlight.

Too long.

"Maybe two weeks. Maybe three."

He shook like an addict on withdrawal, and I was amazed that he had managed to last so long.

"I can't let you kill anyone."

He looked at me, some part of him surprised. The human part.

"I wouldn't ask it."

I nodded and closed my eyes. He didn't seem surprised at the display of trust. We both knew he wouldn't harm me. Couldn't touch me without my permision. But where could I take him? There was no place nearby that he could get what he needed. There was one way, but I was not sure I was willing to try it.

"Raven."

His voice was rough, choking on restraint. I felt the part that made him human slide further away. I opened my eyes. Robin had followed us out.

"I want to know what is going on here."

I laid a lightly restraining hand on the Vampyre's chest, reminding him of who I was. What I was. Reminding him of the relationship that had been between his kind and mine since the beginning of days. He wouldn't risk trying to get past me. I was different, but I could still tear him apart.

"There are things you cannot control, Robin. Chase is my jurisdiction."

Robin stood up straighter. As though it made a difference. As though it mattered. He was powerless here; too proud to realize it.

"This city and its protection are my responsibility."

I fought to speak gently. There was no time for it.

"To an extent, yes. But you are only human, Robin."

Only human.

"That doesn't mean I'm incapable, Raven. Humans aren't as pathetic as you seem to think."

"This is something entirely different. There is nothing here for you to fight. Nothing you can do."

Chase, in agony despite my forced peace heavy on his mind, buried his face against the curve of my neck. Breathed in the scent that should have meant death to him, so he could avoid the one that meant prey. He was long past his breaking point. He should have snapped already, was about to.

"I am the leader here, Raven."

"Enough."

I pushed Chase gently ahead of me as I moved away from Robin. A hand caught my arm. Fire ran along the nerves as his touch jarred the shattered bones in my wrist. My control shattered. I was only so immovable. Only so invincible. Only a teenage girl after all. It hurt too much and I all wanted was to crawl under the covers and never come out. My hold on Chase's mind slipped and he snapped with me.

There was no time for Robin to move. His eyes widened as Chase flowed past me. No time to react. I caught at the vampyre with what little energy remained to me. It pulled him back. Barely. Enough. Just enough. I pulled him toward me. He was desperate, but even then something inside him fought against the shadow. I leaned into him. Breathed against his skin. He gave in.

I felt his lips against my throat, just under my jaw. Felt the instant of burning pain that was almost nothing compared to the screaming nerves of my arm. Robin's eyes widened.

"Raven, what...?"

I his arms around my waist, supporting. Felt his relief, as his mind became almost human again. Felt him falter as he realized what he was doing. What I had done for him. I was just human enough to give him what he needed. Just enough more to survive the taking.

"What the-"

Oh great. The others. Starfire's horrified gasp. Beast Boy's low whine. Shawn made a noise of gagging disgust.

I began to feel dizzy. Shaking with the rapid blood loss. Chase caught me as I faltered. Sank to the ground, holding me gently.

"Thank you." He whispered against my throat.

I shuddered, light-headed and weak. But I was alive. Robin wouldn't have been. Beast Boy wouldn't have been. They were, after all, only human.


	20. Beyond All Disguises

Chapter Nineteen: Beyond All Disguises

I wanted so much to sleep, but they were all looking to me for answers. My vision slid, blurring faces and forms into meaningless blurs. I slumped against Chase. He brushed the hair back from my face.

"What did he do to her?" The familiar voice was horrified.

"Aqualad," I managed, too exhausted to be surprised. "Will

you help them get the weres to the tower? They'll have to be kept

there until I figure out what to do with them."

Shawn cursed. Chase's arms circled me protectively. I forced

my eyes to focus.

The rest of Titans East stood behind Aqualad. Jericho knelt beside us, touched my aching face with a musician's fingers. I saw myself through his eyes, bruised and rumpled, hair hanging in heavy witch-locked tangles, dead weight in Chase's embrace. My jeans and face were streaked with mud. Chase's too-large black shirt had ripped at some point and hung off my shoulder, exposing the mutilated clothing underneath. His eyes followed the line where my high collar had been torn away, met my gaze. I shook my head and he sighed soundlessly, his fingers lacing through mine as the what ifs haunted him.

"Raven, what did you do?"

Robin was furious. And scared. The arrival of Titans East had distracted him, but he wasn't going to let this go. He didn't know what had just taken place, and it frightened him. I realized I didn't even know why Titans East was in Jump.

"Robin called us. He thought they might need back up."

Aqualad answered my confused look.

"Raven," Robin began impatiently, then stopped, because he didn't know how to phrase the question.

"I warned you."

Every word was an impossible effort.

"What is he?"Speedy asked.

"Haven't you guessed by now?" Chase's voice asked from somewhere above my head.

I managed to make myself focus. Saw their gazes sweep over the marks on my neck. Chase's eyes followed theirs and he was thinking that maybe he should have let the weres destroy him. A favor to the world. Thinking how much he hated being a monster.

I leaned my head back against the curve where shoulder met neck, exposing my throat, vulnerable. He knew as well as I did that any power I had was worthless. Knew what my blood had given him. He understood the gesture and I felt him breathe again.

"He's a zombie!"

"Beast Boy's answer to everything." I whispered.

I felt Chase shake as he tried not to laugh. The sound escaped anyways. Aqualad smiled coldly; the kind of smile people use when they're contemplating murder. He knew as well as I did what kind of things existed just beyond human sight.

"Vampires don't exist."

Robin denies the obvious quite well.

"Don't they?"

The words were almost a hiss.

"I thought vampires couldn't go out in sunlight?"

Speedy's question was a challenge.

"Common misconception. Our eyes are more sensitive to the light, most don't like it, but it's not lethal. The more time my kind spend in the dark, the less likely they are to go out in daylight, though."

"Garlic?" Beast Boy asked.

Trust him to come up with the dumbest thing he could think of and then let everybody else know.

"It has a very strong smell, heightened by a Vampyre's keener senses. We avoid it for the same reason anyone else does."

"Your readouts were perfectly normal. I expected the undead to be different from humans."

Cyborg was looking doubtfully at the screen on his arm.

"They are. But we can pass if we have to. I can will my heart to beat the same way you move your arm. It doesn't have to."

Starfire had a look of complete incomprehension deeper than her usual confusion.

"I do not understand?"

"I'll explain later, Star." Robin sighed.

The world spun under me and I fought back nausea. Chase gathered me into his arms, carrying me bridal style.

"We can finish this discussion at the tower. That were needs medical attention, and Raven needs a bed."

"I'll carry her."

"No, Garth. He's fine."

"You said the same thing about Shawn, and he didn't half-kill you."

"I offered. He couldn't have touched me otherwise. You know that, Atlantien."

"You shouldn't have had to." Chase whispered.

I didn't get a chance to respond. The world fell out from under me and I slid into gracious unconsciousness.

I half-woke to the feeling of careful hands sliding the mud-stiff jeans from my body. Still caught between waking and sleep, I couldn't tell who was in the room. But I was too heavy to move.

"Whoa, Rae. You're alright."

Bumble Bee. I relaxed against the bed as she pulled the blankets to cover me.

"Chase wants to know if he can stay in here."

"Nobody else."

I heard the vampyre's liquid steps and sat up. Chase sank onto the chest in the corner of the room. I managed a sketchy wave.

"Here."

Bee left and Chase came to sit on the edge of my bed.

"I'm so sorry, Raven."

"There's nothing to be sorry for." I mumbled, relaxing against the pillows. "You saved my life."

"I nearly took it."

"I knew what I was doing."

"That doesn't make it better."

His shoulders slumped, and I wondered how long it had been since he was human. He didn't have the mannerisms of an older time, or the callous disconscern of an ancient.

"How long have you-?"

"Been one of them? Less than a year."

"You should be proud. It is not an easy thing, self-control."

"I should be dead."

"Chase,"

I laid my hand over his. He pulled away.

"No, Raven. It was my time. They saved me, pulled me back from the death I should have had."

He must have seen the understanding in my eyes. He stopped talking.

"Robin always wondered. It was a long way to fall."

He nodded, rubbed a hand over the back of his shoulder as though an old scar still hurt. It wouldn't, of course. The change had cured any human injuries, but it was more mental than physical. His eyes fixed on mine, smoldering with pain and memory.

"I should have died that night."


	21. Damned Salvation

A/N You know how just when you say you're going to do something, everything else gets in the way? That's what happened to me. I said I would try to update once a week and the homework started breeding rabbit style. And then I got the most horrendous case of writer's block. Sorry. Also, I have no idea what is up with those stupid symbols, and apparently, I can't fix them. Sorry guys. I hope this chapter doesn't do that. Thanks to all my reviewers and subscribers.

Chapter Twenty: Damned Salvation

"I don't remember much. But I remeber knowing I wasn't going to make it. I had hoped to land in the water. I hit the rocks."

I winced and so did he.

"They must have found me just after. I was still alive when they moved me to their shelter."

"Shelter? On that island?"

"There is a cave there. It is impossible to find if you are not welcome."

I couldn't help the doubting look that came over my face.

"They are not all so young as I, nor were they all as human as I was once."

I had not been aware of other magic users in Jump. I promised myself to pay more attention the next time I meditated.

I opened my eyes to find Chase smiling at me.

"You should sleep."

His smile grew wider when I opened my mouth to reply and yawned instead.

"Sleep, Raven. You cannot control everything."

Obedient more to the call of sleep than to Chase, I relaxed into the bed and closed my eyes.

) Creatures of the Night (

When I woke, the light that struggled through the gap in my heavy curtains was warm rose. I had slept for an entire day. Chase was stretched full-length along the end of the bed. He sat up when I stretched.

"Good morning."

"Morning?"

I sat up and slid out of the bed before I realized that I was in my underwear. Chase already had his back to me. I could see his shoulders shaking.

"You might have reminded me."

"It didn't occur to me."

I pulled the blanket from my bed and wrapped it over me like a cloak before I went to rummage through my closet.

"Why in such a hurry?"

"I need to talk to this others. I shouldn't have slept this long. Robin's going to have a fit if he doesn't get some answers soon."

"You might want to clean up before you go out to talk to them. They've waited this long, they can wait another half hour."

I rembered the mud that still clung to me and nodded.

"You should stay in here. I'm not sure what they'll have decided to do with you."

"Would you have a problem if they staked me?"

He was only half-joking.

"I would never forgive myself for letting them do it."

I realized what I'd said and stopped, but it was too late to take the words back, and I suddenly realized that they were true. I would hate it if anything happened to Chase, and not just because he had rescued me from Slade. I remembered how he had tried to kiss me in the park and hurried to the bathroom before I could do anything rash.

The water didn't clear my head as I had hoped. It really only seemed to increase the trance-like feeling that hung over me. I wasn't sure whether it was exhaustion or an after-effect of whatever Slade had used to block my powers, but it induced far too much thought in areas I didn't wish to think about.

Melchior's face, an angel's face with a demon's soul, rose behind my closed eyelids as I raised my face to the water. Would Chase be the same? He had already proved that he wouldn't. Of course, Melchior would have saved me, if he could have, if something had threatened me before my usefullness had run out. But I could think of no reason for Chase to use me. Unless he thought to convert me to their side, to join those who would cloke the world in eternal darkness. But his clan too had saved a dying human for no reason that I could see, except for the sake of saving a life. I thought again of the night before.

Chase was rummaging through my bookshelves when I returned. He looked more as though he was bored and looking for something to do, than he did as if he were interested in the art of astral travel. He layed the book back in its place when I closed the door.

"Are you ready for this?"

I sighed.

"If I'm not, I never will be."

"And if they do decide to stake me?"

"I wouldn't let them, and most of them wouldn't make such a decision. Although, I might be a little worried about Aqualad."

I said the last sentence in a way that was almost joking, but serious enough to let him know it was truly a warning. I doubted the Atlantien would try to have him staked, but I was worried that he would sway the team toward a harsh judgement on Chase and all those like him. Chase caught my arm as I turned to leave the room again.

"Just in case." He whispered.

And his mouth closed over mine.


	22. Judgement

A/N: OMG! I'm back! Sorry about taking forever. I moved back with my mom for the summer and my sister's stupid dog chewed my battery cord in half. I just finally got a new one. So here I am. Hope you like this. You want to know something funny about this story? It didn't go at all where I wanted it to. I think I may rewrite it later. I'll keep this version up, but I want to see if I can get it to turn out how I originally envisioned it. Also, I will be starting a new Rae/Red story, totally different than this one of course. It's something I don't think has been done before so I'm really hopeful. And now that I've finished my shameless self-promotion I will shut up and let you read.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Teen Titans. I do not own the Batman Begins quote.

Chapter Twenty Two: Judgment

I jerked back, but his arms were wrapped around me, holding me still. I raised my hands to his shoulders to push him away, but suddenly they were resting there, still fluttering uncertainly, as though they had a mind of their own. His mouth was warm and gentle. It almost made me forget why I was struggling in his arms. And suddenly Melchior didn't matter. I leaned closer. He released me.

"We should go."

And he walked out.

He _walked out_.

Just like that.

He walked out and left me standing alone in the center of my empty room with only the memory of his mouth on mine. I followed him before the others could do something drastic. Or maybe before I could.

The Titans were gathered on the couch, but none of them were relaxed. Someone had brought in more segments to allow room for all of them. The absent four members of Titans South had showed up sometime while I was asleep. They seemed, as a team, rather more accepting than the others. Even Starfire sat stiff and cold on the edged of her seat. Robin's eyes were bright with questions, but it was Aqualad who seemed the most upset. I sat down on the floor in front of them with Chase beside me. There were fourteen of them and two of us, hardly fair, but they had accepted me hadn't they? I was much more of a threat to them than any vampyre could ever be. And Chase was no threat around me.

"Well, Raven, do you have anything to say?" Robin asked.

"I think we should let the Vampyre speak in his own defense."

I glared at Aqualad, but Chase nodded.

"It seems fair enough. What do you want to know?"

"I want to know what made you think a creature like you could be a Teen Titan."

I almost growled but decided that wouldn't benefit our cause. What gave him the right?

"You're not exactly human yourself, Fishsticks." Chase returned calmly.

"Nor am I an inherently evil parasitic bloodsucker." Alek snarled.

"We all have a choice, Atlantien." Alek sighed. "Unless I am gravely mistaken, your own father is proof of that."

Aqualad hissed and would have jumped Chase if Cyborg hadn't held him back. Chase held up his hands, looked at me.

"How did you know that?" Aqualad demanded.

"I listen."

"Raven wouldn't tell my secrets."

"The Teen Titans weren't the only ones who knew. Humans aren't the only ones who can be changed."

"So you would use me as an example?"

"You are an example. And so is Raven. So am I. There is no group that is purely good or purely evil."

"You expect me to believe that you have renounced your nature after the way I found Raven?"

"I told you I offered." I broke in, exasperated.

"What was that, Raven?" Robin demanded.

I tried to explain without too many details.

"You know what Vampires live on, Robin. Chase didn't want to become a  
murderer, but there is nowhere near Jump where he could get what he needed."

"So you offered yourself?" He demanded.

"I am my own to give."

"And what of us, Raven? We are your friends." Aqualad countered. "Or at least we thought we were. Did you think of us at all?"

"If I hadn't been thinking of you, Robin would be dead right now. Regardless, it is not your decision to make."

Joey slid onto the floor and scooted behind me where I could lean against his drawn-up knees. The brief movements were clearer that any speech he could have made. I saw Chase offer him a brief smile. Jinx moved down to sit with us, Kid Flash, as always, at her side.

"If I could say something?" Robin nodded at her and she continued. "I know what it's like to feel like you can never do anything good because of who you are or what you can do. But it shouldn't matter who you are or where you come from. You always have a choice. I think we should give Chase a chance."

I wondered who had told her the story of what had happened over the last few days. As she didn't seem to be in favor of staking Chase, it must have been Joey, who was at least capable of a mostly objective viewpoint.

"Tell me, Vampyre, how long has it been since you were human?"

"Less than a year." Chase was barely audible.

"Why were you changed?"

Chase told his story again. This time, there was no emotion in his voice or face, but Raven could still hear, or, feel the emotions that ran just beneath his words. The others listened silently. When he stopped speaking some of them look at him with changed eyes.

"Each of us here has made a choice." Robin said softly before the silence could grow too long. No matter our backgrounds or whether we are human or Atlantien or alien, we have, all of us here, chosen to dedicate our lives to saving lives. So who are we turn away someone who has chosen to turn his back on the darkness? 'It is not who we are, but what we do, that defines us.'"

Every eye in the room was locked on Robin. I was shocked. Not that he had decided to take my side, but that he had decided so quickly.

"What made you change your mind?" Chase asked guardedly.

"I realized that if I turned you away, after what you've done, I would have to turn Raven away for being what she is. I would have to turn Aqualad away for his father's sins."

The Atlantien dropped his head into his hands. I didn't tell him there was a third person in the room he would have had to kick out of the Titans. That secret was not mine to tell, but Joey tensed behind me.

"I apologize. My behavior was absolutely unacceptable." Aqualad leaned down to offer his hand to Chase in reconciliation.

Chase accepted Aqualad's offer of peace and shook his hand briskly.

"I understand your being jealous of course. I am rather enviable."

Aqualad's brows drew together, but his mouth smiled.

"Don't push it, leech."

Chase grinned.

"I won't if you don't."

"All in favor of Chase's inclusion into the Honorary Titans?" Robin asked.

Every hand in the room went up.

**A/N: **Unless Chase decides to pester me into more chapters, there should only be one chapter left. It's so sad. This is the longest story I've finished to date. Of course, I shouldn't say that yet as I still haven't finished. And I won't finish if you people don't review. Yes, I am being a tyrant. REVIEW!


	23. Always There For You

A/N: Yay! I got a new power cord for my laptop. Again. This time the AC adapter fried. But I'm back despite my curse.

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Always There For You**

Robin knocked on my door almost as soon as the others left. I had known he would. I opened it just enough to see his face.

"Raven, mind if I come in?"

I shook my head and opened the door wide enough for him to slide through. He stood stiffly just beyond the threshold as though nervous, his gloved hands clasped behind his back.

"I just wanted to apologize. For everything."

I laid my hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay."

He shook his head.

"No, it isn't. I expected you to trust me for the sake of our friendship, but I didn't trust you."

"It isn't in your nature to trust the unknown, Robin, and what you did just now – I'm proud of you."

"I do trust you, Raven."

His eyes behind his mask burned with honesty.

"And I trust you. You've always been there for me. Nothing is going to change that, Robin."

He smiled. A little apprehensively, he removed his hands from behind his back and offered me the object that rested in them. For a moment, I almost laughed. The gesture was so quintessentially _Beast Boy_. Then I saw what he held.

"You fixed it."

He placed the tea cup in my hands. The shards had been put back together so well that you could barely tell it had ever broken.

"It was my fault it broke."

I set the cup on my dresser and pulled Robin into a hug. He hesitated a moment, then his arms went around my shoulders.

"Friends?" He asked softly.

"Always."

O()()O()()O

Chase slid from the shadows as the door closed behind Robin.

"Sweet boy."

I glared at him.

"Don't start."

He looked at me with large hurt eyes.

"That was a compliment. You never take anything I say the way I mean it."

"That's because you never mean anything the way you say it."

He looked back at me.

"Then maybe I'll just stop talking."

"If youstopped mouthing off I'd call a doctor."

He slumped theatrically onto the bed, pulling me down at his side.

"Would you nurse me back to health?" He whispered plaintively against my ear.

"No." I whispered back, leaning closer and enjoying the shudder that ran through him. "I'm a terrible nurse. And I'd be very tempted –"

"I know. You probably just can't help it. I won't hold it against you."

"Very tempted," I continued when I was sure he'd finished. "To call Aqualad instead. And you're not nearly as tempting as you might think."

"Of course I am."

"You're a terrible kisser."

He grinned, a slow expression that started in the corners of his eyes. His fingers traced my jaw line as his free hand pulled me to him.

"I'm afraid you suffer from a gross misconception." He whispered; his breath ghosting over my skin, his mouth a centimeter from mine.

"We shall have to remedy that."

A/N: So this is the end. Thank you to everyone who stayed with it. Hope to see you elsewhere. (CoughLike reading my new storyCough)

Peace, Love, and Vampyres,

OnceUponaLegend


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